Sanitary toothpick dispenser



Dec. 20, 1927. 1,653,286

- F. v. HUGGINS l I SANITARY TOOTHPICK DISPENSER Fig] VW? l f@ x21- CJ*N INVENTOR FAH/VK MHUGG/NS k//r/vfss I l Patented Dec. 270, 1927.

. gUNITED STATES PATE-NT OFFICE;

FRANK V. HUGGINs, or RnnLANns, CALIFORNIA.

vSANITARY roo'rnrIoK nIsrnNsER.

Application filed February 19, 1923.` SeralNo. 619,903.

This invention relates to means for dispensing tooth picks and itcomprises an appliance that may be conveniently placed upon cashiersdesks in hotels, cafs, and

other like places, and may be caused to deliver tooth picks singly.Heretofore, tooth picks have been offered to the public by placing adish in the form of a tooth pick tray or glass holding such articles,upon counters where the tooth picks would be accessible and oftentimesgreatly fingered by the public before being entirely dispensed, and anobject of this invention is to provide simple means for dispensing toothpicks by revolution of a shaft so that they can be obtained separatelykfrom a pack without the other picks contacting with the pick obtainersfingers.

An object of this invention is to provide means whereby tooth picks maybe dispensed to the public with a minimum amount of handling orfingering.

Another vobject is to provide a device of the hereinbefore statedcharacter that is simple, sanitary, economical of construction and neatin appearance.

Another object is to provide means where-v by one or more tooth picks,and other` like articles may be dispensed from a container withouthandling of them by the public.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from theaccompanying drawing, the subjoined detail description and the appendedclaim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a tooth pickk dispenser constructed inaccordance with this invention and mounted upon a table or counter, afragment of which is shown.

Fig. 2 is a section on irregular line v2-m2, Fig.

Fig. 3 is a section on line :v3- m3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view withthe follower and tooth picks omitted.

Fig. 5 is a view analogous to Fig. 1 showing detachable clamps insteadof screws for holding the dispenser adjacent the edge of a counter.

The dispenser 1 is provided with base side lugs a, through which screwsb, extend toy securely fasten the dispenser upon a table or counter c,or other suitable place and comprises a container or hopper 2 to holdtooth picks 3. The lower end of said hopper 2 is provided with anorifice or slot 4 elongated vertically and through which tooth picks arefed in single file to the dispensingA shaft 5- which isprovided with agate depressions or recesses 6.

The shaft 5 is journalled in the side walls 7, 8, of the dispenser andhas hand wheels 9, 10, secured to its ends by means of screws 11. Thehand wheels 9, 10, are adjustable on a shaft 5 and are positioned sothat theends 12, 13, thereof abut the side walls 7, 8 respectively, andthereby preventr end-wise movement of the shaft 5. This constructionalso permits of adjustment of the shaft 5 soy that the elongate recesses6 may be properly plurality of elonpositioned to receive tooth picksfromk the orifice 4.

The lower end of the hopper 2 has inclined walls 14, 15, which serve touide the tooth picks into the orifice 4. A fo lower 16 which may be ofany suitable heavy material serves as a cover for the compartment .v 2so that the fingers of persons cannot be l. inserted into the containerto reach or finarticles in the hopper.

In practical operation the hopper 2 is filled with tooth picks, and thefollower 16 is placed on the top thereof to force thetooth as anindicator to show the height of the picks towards the discharge orifice4. The f shaft 5 is then rotated by rotating either of the hand wheels9, 10 in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 1. The tooth pick3 will be forced through the orifice 4 by gravity and the weight of thefollower 16, and will then be received in the vrecess 6 and carriedforward by rotation of the shaft 5 and will be discharged by gravityonto the inclined non-retaining discharge chute 18, the discharge end ofwhich extends over the edge of the table c, and is ldevoid of tooth pickretaining means, so that tooth picks discharged onto the chute 18 willfall to the lioor and not lie on the counter to be handled and leftthere for other persons to pick up and use. By providing the lower endof the hopper 2 with the vertically elongated slot 4 the tooth pickswill be fed one by one to the recesses 6 and thereby avoid jamming oftheshaftl.`

I claim:

A tooth pick dispenser comprising a hopper adapted to hold tooth picks,the lower end of said hopper having inclined Walls and provided with avertically elongated slot through Which tooth picks are adapted to befed in single tile; side Walls to said hopper; a shaft having a uniformdiameter `throughont its length jonrnalled in said side Walls andprovided `with recesses adapted means to A.secure said hand Wheels tosaid shaft so that the ends of said wheels abut said side Walls andprevent endwise movement of said shaft; a non-retaining discharge chuteadapted. to receive tooth picks from said shaft and discharge them fromsaid dispenser; means to secure said disdis enser to a support so thatthe discharge of said chuteI extends beyond the edge Aof said support sothat tooth picks discharged fromv said chute Will not fall upon saidsupport; and a follower adapted to close the top of said hopper and falldown the side. VWalls to hold the tooth picks in place.

In. testimony whereof, I haveherennto set my hand` at Redlands7California, this 13th day of February,y 19275.

y FRANK V. HUGGINS.

